The recent grand reopening of Cleveland’s Deer Park is just one of several completed projects aimed at improving the quality of life for city residents.

And for many residents — whether they live inside the city limits or outside in a rural spot of Bradley County — it is another reason to be thankful during this year-ending holiday season that accents the "thanks" of Thanksgiving and the "wishes" of Christmas.

From the revamped Deer Park to the grand opening of the Casteel Greenway Connector to the grand opening of Tinsley Park Tennis Complex, the city’s project tick list is rapidly filling up with check marks, signifying their completion.

Just recently, Phase I of the Candies Creek Greenway, which will be constructed on the west side of Interstate 75 in Cleveland on the former site of Rolling Hills Golf Club, began when heavy equipment operators started working at the site.

The project will include a 1.1-mile pathway along the creek from the south side of Candies Lane near Inverness Drive to the west of where the creek passes under Interstate 75.

From there the greenway will cross the creek midway, incorporating the oldest steel truss bridge in the state, and terminate just before the creek meanders under Interstate 75, ultimately connecting the new Candy’s Creek Cherokee Elementary School to Fletcher Park, which will include a 5.5-mile pathway. It will also connect to Cleveland Middle School, as well as Westmore Church of God and Westwood Baptist Church.

City Manager Joe Fivas told the Cleveland Daily Banner that city staff have worked long hours to get the projects from conceptualization to moving dirt.

“We have a strong plan and have been able to show progress,” he said.

Fivas also thanked the Cleveland City Council for their strong support.

Although Cleveland officials have received word from the U.S. Department of Transportation that the city was not the recipient of a “Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Grant,” which would have funded the city’s revitalization of downtown’s Inman Street Corridor, they will continue to seek funding for the project.

The $17 million streetscaping grant would have been the first step in the city's implementation of its Downtown Revitalization Master Plan, which city leaders hope will transform the city’s historic downtown into an area that will attract new residents, as well as tourists.

The master plan proposes a new tree-lined streetscape design for Inman Street, with sidewalks, medians and roundabouts to facilitate traffic flow.

A key element of the plan includes reducing the number of lanes from four to three to slow traffic as it passes through downtown.

Although Inman Street will be less one lane, it will gain designated turn lanes separated by medians.

The master plan, unveiled earlier this year, was developed by WSP, U.S.A., which was selected by the City Council in 2017 to create a vision to transform Cleveland's downtown into a livable and memorable district, as well as a destination for tourists visiting the Cleveland and the Ocoee Region.